Author Archives: Russ

Deadline Changes for 2016 Tax Returns and 2016 FBAR

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Russ

Congress passed and President Obama signed the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 in late July. That law’s primary function has nothing to do with tax; however, it will have a major impact on entity … Continue reading →

Posted in International, IRS | Tagged | 1 Comment

Judge Threatens IRS, Justice Department; IRS Closely Monitored Tax-Exempt Applications; IRS Responses to Exempt Organizations Were Designed to Stop Inquiries to Congress

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Russ

Yes, I’m still on vacation. But twin developments in the IRS scandal force me to post. Yesterday, the IRS released documents to Judicial Watch regarding the IRS scandal. Judicial Watch had sued the IRS under the Freedom of Information Act … Continue reading →

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Vacation

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Russ

It’s time for my annual vacation. If something earth-shattering in the tax world happens while I’m relaxing, I’ll take time out to post on it. Otherwise, enjoy the fine bloggers listed in the blogroll on the right. I’ll be back … Continue reading →

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Judicial Watch: IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Russ

Remember the IRS Scandal? Well, the nuggets continue to drip out. On Friday, Judicial Watch announced that “New Documents Show IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits.” Here’s an excerpt: But then, in February 2011, at least five donors of … Continue reading →

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FTB Disables “MyFTB” Registrations Until 2016

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Russ

California’s Franchise Tax Board announced yesterday that they disabled registration for “MyFTB,” the online interactive FTB system, until 2016. Beginning July 23, 2015, we disabled the ability to register for a MyFTB account while we enhance the registration process. This … Continue reading →

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Fail, Caesar! Update

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Russ

Yesterday US Bankruptcy Judge Benjamin Goldgar ruled that various lawsuits against Caesars Entertainment can go forward. Caesars Entertainment Operating Company (CEOC) is already in bankruptcy; this ruling increases the chances that Caesars Entertainment Corporation (CEC) follows CEOC into Chapter 11. … Continue reading →

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They’ll Know It in Dubuque

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Russ

Perhaps someone will understand the reference in the title (it’s to one of my favorite novels). But this is a tale from Dubuque, Iowa about a scheme gone bad. James Spaulding was the director of the Clarke University Bookstore; he … Continue reading →

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Yes, Illegal Income Is Taxable

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Russ

If you commit fraud do you have to report the illegal income on your tax return? Absolutely! Illegal income is just as taxable as legal income. Al Capone went to prison not for the murders and other crimes he committed … Continue reading →

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Where There’s Smoke…

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Russ

Martin Olive operates “The Vapor Room,” a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco. His business, a sole proprietorship, was audited by the IRS for 2004 and 2005. He lost. He took that case to Tax Court. Back in August 2012 … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Court | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Operation Was a Success, but the Patient Died

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Russ

No, I’m not veering into medicine today. The title of this post is a homage to the title of a chapter in a book by the late Fred Karpin. Mr. Karpin was writing about doing everything right, but still having … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Court | Tagged | Comments Off on The Operation Was a Success, but the Patient Died